coronavirus and the property effect

For the duration of the current crisis staff working in homeless NGOs providing emergency accommodation to homeless households are deemed essential personnel. Staff involved in the provision of private emergency accommodation (Hotels and B&Bs) are also categorised as providing essential services to our most vulnerable.

Minister Murphy said: “My Department remains in contact with local authorities and our NGO’s providing services across the country. We have assured them that their staff are considered essential workers and the services they provide deemed essential. I want to thank them for their ceaseless dedication and work since the crisis first emerged and reassure them that we will do all we can to help them keep some of our most vulnerable citizens safe.”

This will impact on the time taken to process planning applications, in the following ways:

• If an application was lodged before 21 February 2020, the public participation phase is completed, and so a planning authority can make a decision within the extended deadline;
• If an application was lodged after that date, but before 29 March 2020, the decision cannot be made until after 20 April 2020 to ensure that the public participation element has been completed;
• If an application is lodged after 29 March 2020, it cannot be decided by the Planning Authority until the five-week period for public consultation on the application commences, which will now be after 20 April 2020.

marcobon wrote: »

It's a an interesting time...

We got everything sorted this week and on Thursday we collected the keys. On Friday they started with the flooring (as it is a new build). Since the government announcement on Friday evening everything is stopped: floor fitting, deliveries and other stuff. This means until this is all resolved we cannot finish and we cannot move there.

I've been looking at the list of conditions allowed, but I don't see much hope. Now to hope that this won't take many weeks and will have us with rent + mortgage alltogether...

Carrying out an illegal eviction, which includes prohibiting access to the property or making the property uninhabitable by disconnecting services, can result in damages of up to €20,000 being awarded to the tenant. The RTB can seek an injunction from the Courts to reinstate the tenant and will continue to prioritise these cases during the emergency period.

• The emergency legislation applies to all tenancies which fall under the Residential Tenancies Act, this includes Approved Housing Bodies, Student Specific and Private Rented Accommodation, along with Rent-a-Room and Digs-style accommodation.
• The emergency legislation takes effect from 27 March 2020 for a period of three months, and can be extended by Government Order, if necessary.

No one can be made to leave their accommodation (other than in limited and exceptional circumstances where a breach of tenant obligations takes place with a supporting RTB Determination Order).

• All notices of rent review, which were served before the emergency period and were due to start during this period, are paused and the tenant is not required to pay the increased amount of rent during the emergency period.
• A rent decrease is allowed, whether the rent review notice was served before or during the COVID-19 emergency period.
• Tenants are still required to pay rent to their landlord during this emergency period.

Rent a Room & 'Digs' Accommodation included in legislation

• The emergency legislation states that all proposed evictions are prohibited, including Rent-a-Room and Digs-style accommodation. Property owners and anyone renting in such circumstances are asked to show forbearance and support for each other during the emergency period and, where possible, have regard to the precautions necessary to tackle COVID-19, to avoid ending accommodation arrangements.

• patient self-control; restraint and tolerance.
  "his unfailing courtesy and forbearance under great provocation"
• Law
  the action of refraining from exercising a legal right, especially enforcing the payment of a debt.

• local authority home loan borrowers won't have interest charged during the emergency period
• I'm not at all clear on the second, maybe that from 29 March to 20 April (maybe more), planning and building measures like safety measures with deadlines were on pause
  Also maybe that new Healthcare/Hospital related buildings (maybe others) can just be built without much anything in the way of a delay to them

Measures to support local authority home loan borrowers have now been agreed

no additional costs to the original home loan balance will arise for the borrower who avails of these measures, as borrowers are not charged interest for the period of the break

the period from Sunday 29th March 2020to Monday 20th April 2020 inclusive, a total period of three weeks and two days (23 days), may be disregarded when calculating any appropriate period, specified period, or other timelines in certain sections of the Building Control Act 1990 (and certain planning Acts)

the legislation provides that the Government may extend the disregarded period(before it expires), once the statutory requirements for extension are met and mayfurther extenditas many times as is considered necessary, until 9th November 2020

provisions are temporarily dis-applied in theBuilding Control Regulations 2020

This Order in no way affects the requirements to comply withtheother Parts of the regulations ensuringthe protection of the health, safety and welfare of people in and around buildings for example standards around fire safety and structures will not be compromised.

Assetbacked wrote: »

It's been announced today that Google are significantly slowing the recruitment of new staff and some revenue streams from advertising have dried up, namely in travel and local services. FT reported this based on a memo circulated to Google staff. A slowdown in new hires is obviously better than job cuts and would assist with reducing the increased demand for rentals in Dublin the next twelve or so months which would bring down rents. Although, I struggle to see how job losses for some big companies won't happen. Advertising budgets will be chopped in the short term until things become more certain towards Q3/Q4 - that's a long time to be paying a team of sales people without revenue coming in.

The previous Government Order, which was made on 29 March 2020, had specified that the extension period was to end on 20 April 2020. This decision means that the initial 23-day extension to public participation periods in the planning system has been further extended, so that the total extension period is now 42 days or 6 weeks.

It is recognised that the six-week period being added to public participation places some limitations on the operation of the planning system at this time. However, these temporary accommodations to planning processes are necessary to ensure that the core principle of public participation within our system is protected, at a time when staying home continues to be such a critical aspect of the response to the Covid-19 emergency.

Slydice wrote: »

• I'm not at all clear on the second, maybe that from 29 March to 20 April (maybe more), planning and building measures like safety measures with deadlines were on pause

Note on COVID-19 Crisis - Building Control Measures
https://www.housing.gov.ie/sites/default/files/publications/files/note_on_covid-19_crisis_building_control_measures.pdf

laserlad2010 wrote: »

I'm just wondering myself how things will pan out.

The facts as I see it:
- Halt to new construction for remainder of year
- Recession coming (length/severity tbc)

Looking at supply it seems to be halted for the remainder of the year, then you'd have to ask yourself whether it would pick up (if there's a recession) at all next year. Which puts our market under pressure in terms of undersupply.

From a buyers perspective - we haven't yet seen layoffs to much effect in the tech, legal, big 4 sectors? So therefore they should still be buying... Definitely the lower end of the market will be affected as tourism, retail all affected badly.
You'd have to wonder whether demand will outstrip supply for a certain portion either of 2020 or 2021 - causing a recovery of house prices.

Really difficult to say, but I'd expect supply to lag behind recovery just like last time...

laserlad2010 wrote: »

From a buyers perspective - we haven't yet seen layoffs to much effect in the tech, legal, big 4 sectors? So therefore they should still be buying...

Instead, the applicant can request that the local authority undertake an electronic process to obtain the information from the Revenue Commissioners. Persons who wish to avail of this option should contact their local authority and request that the relevant HPL1 information be obtained on their behalf by the local authority

Please be aware that carrying out an illegal eviction, which includes prohibiting access to the property or making the property uninhabitable by disconnecting services, can result in damages of up to €20,000 being awarded to the tenant. The RTB can seek an injunction from the Courts to reinstate the tenant and will continue to prioritise these cases during the emergency period.

In a house share, if one tenant moves out, can the landlord move a new tenant in?
Such letting activity should not occur during the COVID-19 emergency period as it has not been deemed essential by Government. The temporary restriction on the movement of people aims to halt the spread of the disease.

3.RENT A ROOM / ‘DIGS’ ACCOMMODATION

• The emergency legislation states (Section 5(7)) that all proposed evictions are prohibited. It is understood that the intent of this provision is to address living arrangements which are often described as Rent-a-Room and “Digs” style accommodation. Property owners and persons renting in such circumstances are asked to show forbearance and support for each other during the emergency period and, where possible, and having regard to the precautions necessary to tackle COVID-19, to avoid termination of accommodation arrangements.

Barrister Hugh O'Flaherty said the rent and all other obligations under the lease were all up to date to the end of March but, as a result of the Covid-19 crisis and the restrictions introduced by the government, his client had to cease trading towards the end of March and had advised the defendants it could not pay rent for April.

Mr O'Flaherty said they would argue the prevention of access amounted to unlawful eviction and the defendants are in breach of the lease and the Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Act 2020, which include a provision against evictions for the emergency period.

Residential Tenancy termination
Notices of termination served prior to the emergency period, as well as potential new notices, are both covered by the changes, with the result that, broadly speaking, no residential tenancies are to be terminated during the emergency period. These provisions will apply to Local Authority and Approved Housing Body lettings as well as the private sector, and the Act also prohibits the eviction of travellers during the currency of the emergency measures.

Additional powers and functions were conferred on the RTB through the Residential Tenancies (Amendment) Act 2019 to investigate and administratively sanction landlords (up to €30,000) who engage in improper conduct, including non-compliance with the enhanced tenancy termination provisions.

The emergency legislation states (Section 5(7)) that all evictions are prohibited.It is understood that the intent of this provision is to address arrangements which are often described as Rent-a-Room and “Digs” style accommodation. Landlords and tenants in such circumstances are asked to show forbearance and support for each other during the emergency period and, where possible, and having regard to the precautions necessary to tackle COVID-19, to avoid termination of accommodation arrangements

Subsection (7) of section 5 of the Emergency Measures in the Public Interest (Covid-19) Act 2020 providesthat notwithstanding any of the provisions of that section, all proposed evictions in all tenancies in the State, including those not covered by the Residential Tenancies Act 2004, as amended, are prohibited during the operation of the 2020 Act.It is understood that the intent of this provision is to address arrangements which are often described as Rent-a-Room, “Digs” style accommodation and licensees living outside of student-specific accommodation.

rtron wrote: »

Does anyone have thoughts on what might happen Mortgage Interest rates as a result of the pandemic?

Ozark707 wrote: »

They might drop a lot if banks were able to reclaim the asset once someone is not willing or unable to repay. The premium with our European peers is due to the fact that is is very difficult to do this.

Ozark707 wrote: »

That is interesting, did they indicate the % vacancy?